Meet moss Founder, Celestyna

Tuesday, May 3rd, 2016

Posted By Susannah Compton

No doubt about it, there is something special about moss, the latest natural skincare line to launch with Integrity Botanicals. As I continue to enjoy the nourishing, clearing and skin-smoothing results from the moss products I’m using, my interview with the founder Celestyna gave me an opportunity to better understand what makes this brand click. It’s not just what’s in the bottle; it’s the woman behind the bottle. I think you’ll feel the same after reading more of Celestyna’s views on skincare and life at large. Enjoy and look for our special offer and giveaway below.

Susannah: What is your skincare philosophy?

Celestyna: My number one thing here is that love is really important. I get it. I was there. I hated my skin, and the more I hated it, the more harshly I treated it. But loving something is really really important. You’ll get far better results. Just look at children raised in a house full of love vs. not.

I think a lot of people get confused and they think that in order to love something they have to think it is beautiful. This goes for body love too. They look at their thighs and they’re like I hate these — they’re so ugly, how could I ever love my body? Well, take beauty out of the equation. I can’t repeat myself enough ‑— beauty is not necessary for love. Just look at all the people you love — most of them are not supermodels. You adore them anyway. Why? Because they are funny, or strong, or calm or smart or because you have to ‑— they’re family. Well, your skin is family.

Love comes from a relationship. It comes from appreciating things for more than just their aesthetic appeal. You need a relationship with your skin. These days my acne is precious to me, and I am absolutely not joking or being flippant. It tells me in no uncertain terms when I’ve pushed my body too hard in terms of alcohol, sugar, caffeine consumption. It tells me A TON about the health of my feminine physicality. It enables me to create products for my business and allows me to be a reliable tester. It helps me manage my emotions. I don’t try to force myself into thinking it is beautiful. I can’t and it’s pointless. It is not my acne’s job nor my job to be physically beautiful.

I honestly think acne is a blessing, not a curse. It is an opening to find deep peace with who we are (not many people EVER do this because it’s hard and it’s much easier to ignore), and an invitation and a challenge to be better stewards of our body and our health than the typical person. And if you figure out soul happiness and body health, you have a long, blissful life ahead of you.

My skin is not pretty. It is covered with acne scars and shows a lot premature collagen loss and damage. I have deep wrinkles in my forehead that I have had since age ten. I don’t care. Life is too damn short to care. I have other things to think about that are way more important — my husband, my business, seeing the world, helping the world.

What I love the most about my face? It helps me communicate. It helps me be brave. I can feel the sun on my skin. I can see my parents genes in specific features of my face. My father’s mouth, my mother’s nose. None of this has anything to do with beauty.

Long story short — my skincare philosophy is “ditch beauty and bring love instead.”

Also, PLEASE for the love of god, stop it already with “oil-free” products for acne. That is like ancient 80’s advice that has been proven wrong so many ways. I personally cannot live without face balms.

What type of skincare does moss specialize in?

We have two specializations. One is skincare that is not only safe but also beneficial for acne-prone skin, especially adult and hormonal acne. This means it has profound anti-aging benefits as well.

We also specialize in hand-crafted artisanal couture skincare, which you can get a taste of with our limited editions. Ingredient scarcity or expense is not an issue with these opulent treats — all we care about is creating a finished product that is truly special, amazing for both skin and soul to experience.

Moss has a fairly large catalogue of products, and many of them are unusual and unique. Do you have any advice for how one should navigate the line to select the best products for their needs?

We’re actually always actively pruning the collection and it is deceptively simple. You really only need a cleanser and a nourishing system. We have a page on the site that guides newbies through the selection process and are working on more support materials now.

I do like creating unique products, though. A couple of examples — two of our cleansers double as treatments — Beurre Céleste and Miel Noir. Both can be used as masks or cleansers and do a LOT more than just cleanse the skin — they treat it, repairing, exfoliating, nourishing, etc.

Also, absorbing fluids — I advocate applying toner/gel/serum after your facial oil — not before. This way the water based products create a micro emulsion with the oil that remains on the surface of the skin, which helps it be absorbed much faster and leaves the skin way less greasy.

Your customer education approach seems to put a lot of emphasis on diet as well as products. Tell us why diet is important to achieving healthy skin in your experience.

Acne will seem very stubborn if you are only using one small tactic to control it. It works best when you come at it holistically and make multiple simultaneous efforts. So not JUST changing skincare OR diet OR lifestyle, but tweaking all three.

I would say EQUALLY important to diet with acne is stress management, which is almost never acknowledged.

My number one secret to healing acne, ESPECIALLY if people tell me they tried everything and nothing worked, is to ask — well, did you try everything AT THE SAME TIME? Sure, drinking green tea may not work, exercising may not work, zinc supplements may not work, switching to natural skincare may not work, meditation may not work. But now — do those all at once. You’ve reached a critical mass. (Those are just examples — your holistic acne treatment plan may involve very different actions/supplements.)

This is why it is really beneficial to work with a naturopath who specializes in acne. BUT — it is not necessary. You can clear your acne on your own, by developing your intuition, by being kind and loving to yourself and skin and with patience and trial and error AND with a holistic multi-pronged approach. That’s how I did it and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Tell us about a person who has been inspirational to moss and why.

There are three beautiful women I would like to honor.

One of them, my mother taught me everything I know, about creativity, about art, about color, about entrepreneurship and about being rebellious and independent. Without a doubt, moss would not exist without her influence and flair.

The other women are two formulators I look up to and deeply admire. Whenever I have wanted to quit, or been unsure of what move to make next, I always think of Laurel from Laurel Skin starting out selling at farmer’s markets and now having an amazing thriving business and growing it all on her own. I looked at the “team” page on her website when I knew I would have to hire someone to get a bead on what kind of structure and people I might best be served with.

Lastly, Jacine from Roccoco Botanicals (based out of Australia — skincare to estheticians) — she knows so much about healing acne with plants and is incredibly open and generous with helping me and sharing info with me. I can ask her questions — anything from sourcing to formulation — and she will share everything she can.

I love that attitude and it is so rare. In general, people are very competitive and have a scarcity mindset. To find a role model who so clearly has an abundance mindset and so much generosity and true passion is a total dream come true and a HUGE inspiration and guiding light.

SPECIAL OFFER: Receive a free Salvation Mini Balm ($48 value) or Ceremony Mini Balm ($50 value) with any purchase of 2 or more full size MOSS products at Integrity Botanicals. To receive your free gift, upon checkout enter code: SALVATION or CEREMONY One free gift per customer while supplies last.

I would love to try Clear Resolution! Have a fair number of freckles and post-acne scars… Thank you for hosting such a lovely giveaway, and moss’s arrival to Integrity Botanicals is very much welcome!!! xx

While browsing through MOSS catalog two items immediately caught my attention for the amazing ingredients list! Purist Nourishing + Clarifying Facial Oil…how many times do we find a product with clarifying and nourishing words together?
Second one is the HARVEST ILLUMINÉ ENZYMATIC EXFOLIATING MASK – again love ingredient list..super impressive! Can’t wait to try MOSS skincare!

I am truly SO excited that you have added moss to your store, IB! I have really enjoyed all of the samples I have tried from the brand and am hoping to try the salvation balm soon! Love Celestyna’s perspective on skincare and self-worth above!

I have not yet tried any MOSS products, but have been stalking Celestyna’s website for awhile, pining away. The products I would most like to try are the Behold eye cream, Harvest Illumine exfoliating mask and Clear Resolution!!

I’m so excited moss is going to be at integrity botanicals, moss is one of my favorite skin care lines. It has helped me clear up my hormonal acne but not irritate my sensitive red skin. My favorite product is the zen physic just because it really works and never dries out my skin or irritates it.

I’ve been hoping IB would start carrying MOSS. I eyed the line for so long and finally got the CR, Nutrient Mist, and Zen Physic a few weeks ago and have been blown away. Can’t wait to try more. Dream giveaway

I haven’t had the chance to try anything yet but Moss skincare definitely looks phenomenal!
I would love to try the Salvation Balm. The other product that really interests me is the Halo sun protection powder!

I’ve been hearing the buzz growing about moss in the past several months. The ingredient lists are interesting and sound effective. Hemp seed oil is close to my heart, and even as I’ve added some other oils to my roster, I still use it more than anything else. But setting the products aside, every interview of Celestyna I’ve read has left me doing some self-reflection with a view towards more self-love and self-care. Her words remind me of that saying by Rudy Francisco, “Perhaps we should love ourselves so fiercely that when others see us, they know exactly how it should be done.” After 6 years of child-bearing-related hormonal shifts, and the glorious mess that is raising two little ones (and the minimal time to focus on just myself that, in my experience, seems to be the other side of the coin) my skin is definitely worse for the wear. But I’ve been coming around more and more towards a place of not just acceptance, but gratitude. Unlikely as it is, I am hoping against hope that I win this giveaway, but even if I don’t, I know there’s some moss in my future (looking at you, Clear Resolution, Healing Dew, Halo, Sea Honey…). Thanks for including this spotlight on Celestyna with the moss roll-out. So glad you guys are carrying her products now!

I have not tried this line yet but would LOVE to try the clear resolution facial oil and the harvest illumine enzymatic exfoliating mask. I still get acne (cystic) and have black heads and think this will really help me!

Keep hearing about this brand & I would love to try it! So great to hear the founder give props to other women in the Natural beauty business & I never thought about acne being an enlightening tool that lets our bodies know what is going on with us healthwise.

Wow, reading this interview and perusing the moss products, I feel like this whole line was made for me! Id love to try everything! The healing dew, purist oil and zen physic are really calling my name. Thanks for introducing me to such a great company!

Wow, this brand has me intrigued! I love the fact that some of the products combine a purifying/anti-acne approach with an anti-aging/nourishing approach. Very unique! I’d love to try the Salvation Balm!

As soon as I tried a sample of the Salvation balm, I had to buy a full size. It’s the loveliest matte texture and really helps reduce redness and inflammation. I’ve since purchased the Healing Dew and Equilibrium serums and both are great on rotation. I would love to try more! Thanks for the giveaway and congrats to both IB and Moss!

I’ve been curious about MOSS for a while and would love to try a little of everything. To start, I’d be especially interested in the Harvest Illuminé mask, the Salvation Balm, and the Miel Noir Cleanser.

I’ve tried the salvation balm and I like being able to use a balm with ingredients that won’t break me out! The smell reminds me of mustard. But I like using a stronger moisture component along with a facial oil!

Thank you so much for carrying this line. I have used Moss for about a year and it is a great line! You only need a little bit and they mix/match so well together. The eye cream is next on my list to try

My skin has been messing with me for the past two years and is the reason I started taking my skincare more seriously and finding Integrity Botanicals. I love how there’s constantly new brands being introduced that I would have never heard of otherwise. For Moss Skincare I would love to try Halo Sun Protection Powder because I love the idea of just adding it to what I already use while still protecting my skin and the Zen Physic Active Spot for those stubborn parts of my face that holds onto acne scars.

I am so excited to try moss products! I have acne-prone skin and have yet to find a skincare regimen that really works for my skin. I think it will be the final piece to the puzzle, as I have made some major lifestyle and diet changes that have made a world of difference! I’m thinking I’ll try the moss oil cleanser plus an oil and a balm! Can’t wait to give them a try!

I’ve been eyeing Moss for awhile- it looks perfect for aging skin with breakout issues (me!).
I would especially love to try Renewal Matrix and Harvest Illuminé, as my skin always needs decongesting and has some scarring I’d like to improve. Really, the whole line looks phenomenal!

Loved this article as it encouraged me to think about acne differently. I also appreciated Celestyna’s insight that we must love our skin. My skin, with its myriad issues, usually disappoints or frustrates me. I never thought of how un-nurturing that is.
This brand as been on my radar for a while now and Celestyna’s story, her approach to the topic and her mention of her relationship with Laurel Skincare only solidifies my desire to try it.
Thanks to Integrity Botanicals for the giveaway opportunity. Based on the MOSS website, the products that look most compelling to me (with my skin in its current “problemed” state) would be Zen Physic, Renewal Matrix and Clear Resolution.

MOSS=Life! I’m so glad you’re carrying this line! This year I developed an allergy to a medication I was on on for years. Because it happened gradually, it took months to catch. It suppressed my adrenal panel and dropped my estrogen into the post-menopausal range… at 30. My skin erupted into a horrible inflamed, acneic mess (Think lobster in purple polka dots) and nothing helped. Enter MOSS. Zen Psychic and Clear Resolution have done what no other product could do, and my skin is finally starting to heal. (Happy dance) I’m now a MOSS fan for life!

As someone who has suffered from acne of the hormonal and cystic nature for quite a long time, it is so nice to hear of a natural brand that is geared towards healing, treating, and nourishing acne-prone skin. I am a lover of oils and I am dying to try Clear Resolution. The new antioxidant mask also sounds lovely!

This is my first time hearing of moss, and the products and ingredients look amazing! I also love Celestyna’s philosophy on skin care. I can’t wait to try some, especially the Zen Physic spot treatment and Salvation balm!

About Susannah Compton

Susannah Compton is the founder and formulator behind Florescent, a line of 100% botanical perfumes she blends in small batches from organic and wild crafted aromatics. Plant-based skincare and cosmetics are a way of life for Susannah, who writes about clean beauty and the
benefits of botanical ingredients for No More Dirty Looks, Thoughtfully Magazine and Integrity Botanicals. Florescent, however, is Susannah’s personal expression of healthy beauty. Susannah has been working with botanical aromatics for years, blending first for therapeutic
purposes before delving into the art of perfumery. Having rarely experienced the depth and complexity of true botanicals in conventional perfume, she learned the art of blending and
created what her heart desired — a scent that would move her the way perfume should. In search of those elevating, ethereal bouquets of scent, Susannah honed her skills behind the perfume bench. She launched Florescent in the spring of 2015 to share the lush experience
and pleasing ritual of real perfume.
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